Anrae James, killed in Jefferson hospital shooting, left 3 children behind

Anrae James used to say to her younger brother Armond, “If you treat people with kindness, you will always be blessed. Armond always admired his brother and knew he could count on his presence no matter what the effort, he said.

Now the phrase will be part of James’ legacy and a bittersweet reminder to all who loved it.

The 43-year-old nursing assistant and part-time barber, who many referred to as Rae, was identified by her family on Monday as the victim of an early morning shooting at Thomas Jefferson Teaching Hospital. Those who knew him described him as a “father” who held two jobs to support his three children and a prankster with a knack for bringing people together around his barber chair.

“One of the best [barbers] in Uptown, ”said his friend Lyndell Mason. “That’s what we called him.

William James learned the devastating news from his son on Monday morning. Every two weeks, he said, James would come to his home in Elkins Park and cut his hair, never taking any money even when he offered it to him. The couple talked about everything from their kids to sports.

“It’s one of the best times for me, where we sit for a few hours,” said William James, 69.

READ MORE: Nursing assistant killed by colleague at Jefferson University Hospital, and two Philadelphia police officers shot dead

James also lived in Elkins Park, with his wife and two daughters, aged 2 and 17, and a son, 11, according to his father.

“My son’s legacy is his children,” said William James, describing a recent photo of James posing proudly with his son at the start of his second football season.

The shooting suspect, a 55-year-old man and also a Jefferson Nursing Assistant, fled the scene on Monday in a U-Haul van and ended up in a shootout with Philadelphia Police at Parkside an hour later, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. . He was arrested and hospitalized in critical condition after police shot him in the body and neck. Police sources identified him as Stacey Hayes.

Hayes and James were friends, said Saud Salahuddin, a transporter patient in Jefferson and James’s childhood friend. “That’s why it’s hard for me to understand what happened,” said Salahuddin, 42, describing how the three would talk about sports in their free time.

James has cut hair at North Philly hair salons for the past two decades after graduating from hairdressing school, said Jarrod Johnson, manager of Custom Cutz, where James worked three days a week.

READ MORE: Jefferson shooting is latest example of workplace violence in healthcare

He cut back on barbering when he went to Jefferson full-time, his friends said.

At the hospital, James first worked in environmental services, room cleaning and earned her nursing assistant certification in 2006, state records show. In Jefferson, licensed practical nurses hired before 2018 earn about $ 25 an hour, according to Jefferson’s contract with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, Local 1199C.

James worked nights from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., sometimes going to the hospital after his shift at the barber shop. It made sense to him because it meant he could continue to cut his hair, as well as bring his kids to school and be there when they got home, his friends said.

James was one of five siblings – he had two sisters and two brothers. Willingness to hold multiple jobs and provide for the needs of one’s family, even with a long and odd hours, comes from their parents, says Armond. Their mother, Janet, worked in Jefferson as a maternity secretary until she retired, and their father is a retired SEPTA bus driver.

Jefferson held a special place in their lives because Janet and William met there, Armond said.

James had a knack for connecting people, said Ahmad Henry, who had had a haircut from James since 1998.

They called it The RZA, “Razor Rae”, a tribute to the Wu-Tang Clan member who formed the group, because it was thanks to James that they all met. “We’re all just gathered around his station,” said Henry, 38.

Her last cut by James was Friday.

James loved arguing in the store, his friends said. He loved the Steelers. He loved Nas. And he would fight with anyone and everyone about it.

Incredibly close and religious in their youth, his brother said he was shocked that gun violence had shattered his close-knit family. As a teacher at South Philadelphia High School, he is normally a grief counselor for his students when such things happen. But now the roles have changed and he is the one who needs such support.

William James said his son has a way of seeing things and seeing the world through many eyes, often causing his father to put himself in other people’s shoes.

“It was a beautiful, beautiful thing,” said William. “And I’m not going to have this anymore. I’m not going to have this.

This loss angered William and he was unable to fully deal with the grief as he struggled to hold his family and his son’s family together.

“It’s just not fair,” he said.

Editors Barbara Laker, Chris Palmer, Anna Orso, and Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.